A natural pool can be individually designed to perfectly complement the rest of the garden design with the exclusive swimming pond. We present costs and design options to you in this article.
Startup costs
Regardless of the style you want, there are always certain starting costs to be expected with a natural pool. These are a central part of the entire project as they make up a large part of the costs. A natural pool is also difficult to implement on your own, while a classic swimming pond can be created quite easily without professional help. There are roughly three areas that make up the price:
Material & Excavation
The largest cost points are usually thematerial costsand thedisposal of the excavated earth They often take up more than 50 percent. In addition, a minimum size is recommended for each category in order to achieve the desired effect of the swimming pond.
Note:
You can reduce costs by doing your own work. These include, for example, parts of the earthworks or the removal of waste.
Natural pool categories
Before you can start planning your natural pool, you need to decide on a category. The different types of swimming ponds are divided into categories 1 to 5. Each category describes the individual elements that characterize the respective swimming pond, which makes the selection easier in the end:
- Regeneration zone size
- Swimming area size
- Planting
- Automation
- Use options
- Cleanliness of the water
Categories 3 to 5 have proven to be particularly suitable for a natural pool. They usually have asmaller regeneration zoneand alarger swimming area, which has a significant impact on the design.
What is important with these types is the constant flow through the regeneration zone in order to keep cleaning measures as low as possible. Categories 1 and 2, on the other hand, place a greater focus on an extensive variety of plants and animal habitats. In order to find the right category for your exclusive natural pool in categories 3 and 5, a comparison is required.
Category 3
- Swimming and regeneration area not separated
- min. 40 percent regeneration zone
- slowly flowing regeneration zone
- Water slightly cloudy
- Costs: approx. 300 – 1,000 € per square meter
- Minimum size: 80 square meters
- Starting costs: 24,000 to 80,000 euros
Category 4
- Swimming and regeneration area partially separated
- min. 40 percent regeneration zone
- fast-flowing regeneration zone
- Water almost clear
- Costs: approx. 500 - 2,500 euros per square meter
- Minimum size: 60 square meters
- Starting costs: 30,000 to 150,000 euros
Category 5
- Swimming and regeneration area separated (two-pot system)
- min. 30 percent regeneration zone
- fast-flowing regeneration zone
- Water clear
- Costs: approx. 500 - 2,500 euros per square meter
- Minimum size: 50 square meters
- Starting costs: 25,000 to 125,000 euros
Additional cost points
In addition to the category, other aspects affect the price:
- Providers
- Location
- Facilities
High-quality natural stone
Natural pools are primarily offered as a kit, which consists of a liner, wall panels and a floor. Not everyone likes the look, which makes the use of natural stone recommended. Stone cladding offers an attractive alternative to pond liner and the elements that are used to use it. The stones are usually offered as slabs or individual pieces that can be placed quickly and thus quickly achieve the desired result. They are available either as individual stones, tiles or tiles. The most popular stones for natural pool cladding include the following:
- Granite
- Quartcite
- Marble
Hot tub
A whirlpool with naturally treated water? Is this possible? This is a question asked by many interested parties who do not want to miss out on the luxury of warm pools. Fortunately, nothing stands in the way of using a whirlpool, especially if you choose a category 4 or 5 variant. The whirlpools are positioned so that they receive water from the swimming pond and therefore do not require an additional water connection. This is what makes integrating the elements so interesting. Since whirlpools are offered by numerous manufacturers, you are spoiled for choice. Choose a model that fits your planned swimming pond and voilà.
Most whirlpools are available from aPrice of 1,500 euros and, depending on the model, can be more expensive than 10,000 euros including installation.
Fancy lighting
Of course you should have the lighting in your natural pool and the surrounding garden or terrace or an adjacent building. Atmospheric lighting in the water is a special highlight, especially at night. Pool lighting is available for outdoor or indoor use. This means that indoor lamps are waterproof and are installed directly into the pool, creating atmospheric underwater lighting. The elements for underwater lighting are available either as individual lights forPrices from 150 euros upwards or as a complete set from a provider, tailored to your pool, at a significantly higher cost. Modern lighting systems can even be integrated into the smart home. which allows control via voice commands or direct color adjustment.
Creative privacy screen
Not everyone enjoys being looked at by strangers while swimming in their own natural pool. A privacy screen that can be creatively integrated into the garden is ideal for this purpose. Depending on the size and shape of the swimming pond, the boundary creates a visual effect that brings out the desired style in the garden even better. For example, if you are planning an English garden with a romantic feeling, hedges are an excellent privacy screen, while in modern gardens metal elements present a powerful character. In contrast to creating a natural pool, installing the elements or planting hedges is easy to do. Depending on your taste, you can even use a garden architect to place the elements exactly how you want.
Heating
If you want to use the natural pool all year round, heating is a good idea. They are specifically intended for categories 4 and 5 as heated swimming ponds are not ideal for natural balance and therefore do not provide an effective base for animal visitors. Only clearly separated models are suitable for this.
For this luxury you have to expectcosts of 10,000 to 20,000 euros for pools with a volume of over 100 cubic meters. The reason for this high cost range is the types of heaters available, the installation and functionality of which differ significantly from one another:
- Air heat pump
- Photovoltaic system
- Solar thermal system
- Central heating connection
Note:
Heating is preferably suitable for natural pools in categories 4 and 5, as they offer long-term water purification. In this way, algae formation can be effectively regulated even when the pool heating is switched on.
Garden showers
Garden showers are an investment for bathers who want to spend a lot of time outdoors. They are available in different versions that suit a wide variety of garden pool designs. They range from modern to elegant to historically inspired models. This is what makes integrating a garden shower so interesting, as it can be used deliberately stylistically.
TheCosts for the shower itself vary depending on the model from 150 to over 1.000 euros and can be integrated into existing garden and swimming pond concepts such as a romantic corner as desired. The integration of the garden shower is available in different ways:
- permanently installed with cold water
- permanently installed with cold and hot water
- mobile
Sun decks, jetties and islands
Exclusivity at the natural pool is not only achieved through the actual equipment. There should also be opportunities to rest. Sun decks, jetties and small islands that invite you to relax when the weather is nice are ideal for this purpose. Most variants are wooden platforms that can be placed in or on the edge of the natural pool as desired to expand the relaxation options.
Boys and sundecks are often combined to provide a large area for relaxation. Islands, on the other hand, are only suitable for large natural pools. They are either permanently installed or function as a floating platform. The costs for these elements differ significantly from provider to provider. The followingfactorsaffect the finalprice:
- Dimensions
- Material
- Type of installation (fixed or floating)
- Load capacity
- Surface (ideally non-slip)
Special materials
The material used is decisive for the total cost of the elements. Most often these are coated wood or plastic elements that are water-resistant and can therefore be used permanently. It becomes more elegant and attractive with solid woods that naturally have ahigh moisture resistance. They are available in different designs, which means they can also be used decoratively. These include:
- Larch
- Douglas fir
- Teak
- Bangkirai
- Robinie
Note:
Bars can be combined particularly well with exit aids. They extend a little further into the pond, making entry easier.
Attractive garden concepts
One of the absolute highlights of an exclusive natural pool is the complete design of the garden with thePool in focus This refers to garden concepts that use the pool as an essential point and always return to it lead there. No matter which garden concept you choose, the design options in combination with a natural pool are huge.
Interesting concepts are:
- Fairy Tale Gardens
- Mediterranean gardens
- Beach Garden
- romantic green oases
- classic gardens with large lawns
- Baroque Garden
- wild gardens
Zen Garden
A good example of such a concept are Zen gardens with access to water. A Zen garden,Kare-san-sui in Japanese, is harmoniously designed using various elements:
- gravel areas
- larger stones
- Paths
- Solitary plants
Each of the elements plays a specific role. The gravel areas are raked to create waves symbolizing rivers and seas. The plants are used as trees, islands or large meadows and are placed either in the “water” or on the coast. The final touch is provided by large stones that blend in as waterfalls or mountains. Kare-san-sui gardens can be ideally built around a natural pool or have paths leading to the swimming pond. The design of such garden concepts is brought even more to the fore. If you are a fan of bonsai trees, you can even incorporate them. Bonsai, especially the older ones, are often used in Zen gardens to provide a sense of stability.
